Ricky Leung, PhD, MPhil, MS

About

Dr. Ricky Leung is a Professor and Director of Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Memphis School of Public Health. His research focuses on advanced technology to improve healthcare delivery, analysis of complex health systems, data-driven public health interventions, and application of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to address healthcare disparities. Recently, Dr. Leung has explored algorithmic bias in diagnosing and treating ADHD in children by leveraging multimodal health data, offering new insights into maternal and child health (MCH), social inequity, and related public health issues.

Dr. Leung’s work has received funding from prominent public agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), as well as support from private enterprises. His expertise lies in addressing the needs of underserved populations and creating pragmatic, technology-enabled solutions to bridge the gap between research and community health outcomes. His impactful research has been published in high-profile journals, including The Lancet, JAMA, Organization Science, and Research Policy.

Dr. Leung is widely recognized as a global scholar, having delivered numerous invited talks and lectures across the world. His international reputation is further demonstrated by his visiting faculty appointments at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and other prestigious institutions worldwide. These experiences have enhanced his global collaborations in health equity and technological innovation, reflecting his commitment to addressing health challenges on a global scale.

In addition to his research contributions, Dr. Leung has held significant leadership roles. Before joining the University of Memphis, he served as the Interim Director of the Global Center for AI in Mental Health at U-Albany. He has also served as a panelist for major funding agencies and as an editor and reviewer for numerous prestigious journals in health, management, and social science disciplines. These roles underscore his dedication to advancing scholarly rigor and supporting the next generation of researchers.

Education

• PhD, Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• MS, Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• MPhil, Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• BA, University of Hong Kong

Additional Training

• Postdoctoral Associate, Strategic Management and Operations, University of Minnesota
• MPH-level Medical Informatics Course, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Selected Publications

1. Kim, J., Parkhouse, A. R., & Leung, R. (2026). Health-related generative AI use alongside and beyond professional care: A qualitative content analysis of Reddit posts. Healthcare, 14(20), Article 3429. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14203429
2. Leung, R. (2023). Using AI-ML to augment the capabilities of social media for telehealth and remote patient monitoring. Healthcare, 11(12), Article 1704. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11121704
3. Rajah, R., Fan, T. P. C., & Leung, R. (2024). Avalon SteriTech: Lessons from an ex-IP lawyer as a startup founder in biotech and AI [Case study]. Harvard Business Publishing Education; Singapore Management University Centre for Management Practice. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/100SMU-PDF-ENG
4. Leung, R. (2023). Leveraging AI and blockchain for streamlining healthcare payments. In Proceedings of the 2023 5th Blockchain and Internet of Things Conference (BIOTC '23) (pp. 58–62). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3625078.3625086
5. Leung, R. (2019). Expanding JMIR in the next twenty years. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(10), Article e17162. https://doi.org/10.2196/17162
6. Leung, R., Lin, S., & Guo, H. (2017). Using social media to reduce health impacts from extreme weathers: A feasibility study. Journal of Healthcare Communications, 2(4), Article 65. https://doi.org/10.4172/2472-1654.100106
7. Leung, R., Dong, G., Qin, X., & Lin, S. (2016). Capturing parent-child interactions with social media. Psychological Reports, 119(3), 710–713. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294116648363
8. Asinor, C., & Leung, R. (2016). Health records management practices in Ghana: An exploratory study. International Journal of Development Research, 6(10).
9. Leung, R. (2013). Networks as sponges: International networks for developing nanomedicine in China. Research Policy, 42(1), 211–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2012.05.001
10. Van de Ven, A., Leung, R., Bechara, J., & Sun, K. (2012). Changing organizational designs and frontiers of healthcare clinics. Organization Science, 23(4), 1055–1076. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1110.0694

 

Curriculum Vitae